Pioneer behind Gujarati Vishwakosh passes away at 96

TNN | Updated: Jan 25, 2014, 1:13 IST

AHMEDABAD: Dhirubhai Thaker, the man behind the 25-volume Gujarati Vishwakosh, died of multiple ailments on Wednesday. He was 96. He is survived by two sons and a daughter. Born in June 1918 in Kodinar, Thaker was a native of Viramgam near Ahmedabad. After getting an MA degree from Mumbai University in 1941, he became a lecturer and simultaneously wrote books of criticism, essays, research and plays. His work on the history of Gujarati literature remains a landmark for those involved in language research. His defining work, however, remains the Vishwakosh, an encyclopedia of 25 volumes containing 25,000 pages and 23,000 entries. Kumarpal Desai, managing trustee of the Gujarati Vishwakosh Trust who is a litterateur himself, said that Thaker started work on the encyclopedia at the age of 67 when most people start thinking of retirement. "It was because of Thaker's tireless effort that 1,700 subject experts came on one platform to work for the encyclopedia. It was his dream to give a never-before book of reference to the Gujarati-speaking world and perhaps one of the most comprehensive encyclopedias in any Indian language. His energy was contagious and inspired other researchers to carry out the mammoth task," said Desai.

He added that Thaker's work led to commissioning of a Charitra Kosh (biographical dictionary of Gujarati luminaries) and Sanskrutik Kosh (collection of articles about the state's cultural heritage), among other books. Thaker was recipient of Ranjitram Gold Medal in 1994 and Narmad Award in 2012 among numerous other honours. He was also the president of Gujarati Sahitya Parishad in 2000-01.